


Find Me

by antivanitas



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, M/M, Slow Burn, Temporary Character Death, judal wearing glasses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 23:12:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3227036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antivanitas/pseuds/antivanitas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judal is a foster kid from upstate New York, haunted his entire life by the image of a scarred boy in his dreams.  He snags a scholarship to SUNY Fredonia and begins the next leg of his journey as he hopes to find escape.  Fate, however, has other ideas.  The boy with the scar is standing in his dorm room.  And what Judal thought was a dream turns out to be a reality that shines through the cracks of his ever-expanding world.</p>
<p>A reincarnation AU of sorts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi all! this is my first ever story on ao3, and it's actually the first fanfiction beyond a drabble that i've written in quite some time. and of course i decided to start this right before the semester picks up again ;n;!! but no problem guys, i'm fast. i'll be pumping out pretty regular updates hopefully if this is well-received!
> 
> also i know the plot is a little contrived- i hope that doesnt discourage anyone c: there will be eventual smut and romance, but i'm more of a fan of natural progression, so this will come later. but the main focus is certainly juhaku and yall will be getting your fill uwu
> 
> okay that's all have fun!

_Hakuryuu’s had his arm cut off before._

_He’s had stab wounds and he’s been thrown into buildings.  He’s been so injured he couldn’t walk the next day.  He’s been tossed around, beaten, stepped on, nearly blown up and strangled.  He’s nearly been burnt alive.  But nothing, not even the stinging and overwhelming pain of the veins in his arm popping and snapping and his elbow disconnecting, could have prepared him for dying._

_Part of him, the distant and irrational part that isn’t taking in the situation yet, feels bad for his brothers.  An even smaller part of him feels remorse for his mother, whom he killed in cold blood, although he doesn’t think she felt any pain from it.  He didn’t leave her with a gaping hole in her chest, dripping with her own blood as sinew and tissue formed a ragged edge._

_Judal spots him just as his vision starts to tunnel.  And he was intending to die peacefully.  He really was.  He’d lived a long life, conquered two dungeons, managed to become the emperor of his country.  And he would have passed away with a smile on his face had he not locked eyes with his Magi_

_Fuck.  He can’t leave him._

_He’s never seen Judal so visibly upset before.  There have been flashes of discontentment, and especially anger, but never full-blown fear mixed with confusion and shock.  No one else stops their fighting, and he distantly sees a flame in the distance—Alibaba, certainly.  Stupid bastard._

_“Hakuryuu,” is all Judal says, in a whisper-like excuse for a voice.  His hands are shaking.  The Kou prince stares, but doesn’t really register the way Judal’s crimson eyes are covered by a thin layer of tears.  Goddamn idiot, don’t turn your back on the enemy—_

_And as he thinks it, there’s a sharp pain in his stomach, and he can barely feel it over the mind-numbing pain in his chest.  When he looks down, the two of them are skewered together, a spear connecting them and Judal’s blood dripping down the wood to mingle with his own._

_The Magi slumps onto him, mouth open in a silent scream, and Hakuryuu feels fingers curling in his hair.  His vision is almost black, just like the_ ruhk _Judal is leaking.  They’re clinging to each other and bleeding and the fate of the world hardly matters._

_What matters, Hakuryuu decides, is their own fate._

_Groaning, Hakuryuu places his fingers along Judal’s temples.  He gives a grim little smile as Judal stares at him, and they feel like the only two people to ever exist, in either world.  If they’re going to die, they’re going to break the rules just like everything else they’ve done so far._

_A light glows and grows between them.  When Judal looks, the sigil on Hakuryuu’s shoulder guard is radiating.  He gives the prince a confused glance, strength quickly fading and  blood leaking from the corners of his mouth._

_“Find me,” Hakuryuu whispers.  His eyes are closed.  He lets Belial take complete control as he fades away._

_“I’ll always find you,” Judal says, but he’s crying and barely breathing, and his world stops turning when Hakuryuu draws his last breath._

_But another world begins its rotation._

He still feels like he’s spinning when his eyes snap open, only he sees the world flying past through the window.

Another dream of the boy with the scars.  He subconsciously moves his feet closer to his bag where he can feel the edge of his sketchbook dig into his shin.

Judal doesn’t think many kids are riding the bus to unpack at college.  As it is, he’s riding the line that comes from the inner city and the isles are scarce with what he thinks are several homeless people.  He gets that; the past six months he’s been on his own, the foster system not being able to do much for an adult.  He’s spent his fair share of nights on a bus.

That, and New York City doesn’t exactly like Iranian kids that much.

He shuffles in his seat.  A long black braid is draped in front of him, thick black-rimmed glasses hiding his face from the world.  He doesn’t have much in the way of possessions; some sheets and a pillow, his school books, and a small suitcase of clothes he’s had for nine years.  But it’s a lot to him, when he’s traveling so far from Rochester like this.  He hunches in on himself and breathes the stale air.

Fredonia is quite literally in the middle of nowhere.  It’s not Nebraska or anything, but compared to the metropolis that is New York City, or even the smaller Rochester where he’s been bumming, it’s a small town off I-90 that could be forgotten in an instant.  It’s exactly what he needs.  He’s not cliché enough to call it a new start.  The view outside shows sprawling lands of green pastures, and he can’t help but think how he’s never really seen this kind of thing before.  He’s been surrounded by skyscrapers and pedestrians all his life.

It’s more of an escape.

They pull into the small road where kids are unloading their luggage with their parents.  It’s small, dusty and rustic.  The trees are old and the buildings older, and there’s more history on this campus than anything back home.  Wind starts to pick up and clouds roll in, and he remembers he only has an hour to unload his “car”, and the thought makes him laugh.  Buses don’t usually travel this far upstate and this is the only day he could find an exception for college students.

He grabs his bags and shuffles out of the bus, and he finds his hall pretty quickly; they all look the same but they have bright white signs in front of them.  Gregory Hall.  He’s seen pictures online at the library and it looks better than anything he’s ever seen, let alone lived in.

Working heat during the winter.  Judal feels warmth wash over him at the thought.

The dorm feels welcoming, but he supposes it’s a kind of fake welcome.  It _has_ to be like this.  There’s a large common room with chairs surrounding a fire pit and a television (for free?  Like in restaurants?) and there’s some vending machines.  Charismatic posters line the walls.  It has to pretend like it has any idea where these kids come from.  Judal knows most of them come from at least some kind of wealth; he wonders how many of these kids have slept on the streets in the past three months.  Probably none. 

He checks in at the front desk.  The girl seems interested, bright green eyes and a pleasant smile, but Judal quickly realizes she’s just humoring him and trying to make him feel comfortable.  He doesn’t have time for that kind of attitude, honestly, and he’s cold as he snatches his room key and stalks off to the elevator.

The scholarship he rode in on only lasts four years.  He can’t afford to waste time making friends.

Corridor style dorms, he soon finds out, are tighter than they look online.  He feels a little suffocated as he jams his key into the lock and opens it, but the inside of his room isn’t dark and empty like he sort of expects.

There’s a boy there.

He’s on his bed, kneeling, glancing back over his shoulder at Judal.  His blue eyes are wide like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t even though he’s only hanging some posters.  There’s a peach-colored scar across the left side of his face that continues down his neck and who knows where else.  His hair is long and shaggy but not unruly; it’s tied up neatly in a pin, and only one or two strands fall to his shoulders and onto his white hoodie.

They stare at each other a bit longer than necessary.

“H-hi!”  The boy jumps down from the bed and the poster falls from one corner, hanging limp on the plaster.  “You’re my roommate, right?”

Judal has no idea.  He just keep staring.  His whole body feels like it’s vibrating, thrumming with energy as his eyes trace the star-shaped scar.  There’s a terrifying second where he feels like the pages of his sketchbook could catch on fire.

The boy looks a bit put off and he sheepishly glances to the ground.  “I’m Hakuryuu.  You can call me Haku, though, or Ryuu because I know it’s kind of hard to pronounce for some people—“

“Judal.”

“Huh?”

“My name,” he clarifies.  “Judal.  And yeah, I guess we’re roommates or I’ve got the wrong key.”

Hakuryuu seems pleased with this development in their relationship and grins brightly, although his eyes stay wide like he’s in awe of Judal’s existence.  Awkwardly, he rubs the back of his neck and turns to continue hanging posters.

Judal still can’t stop staring.

“I _know_ it looks like I have a lot of stuff, but I really don’t.  My sister just kept telling me to pack everything just in case, and I’ve always liked having posters on my wall.”

“Do I know you from somewhere?”

God, wouldn’t that be a trip?  Hakuryuu is clearly from wealth.  Judal can already see a Macbook on the desk, along with a pretty new iPhone and some kind of tablet.  His hoodie looks simple, but Judal can spot designer clothes anywhere after people watching in Central Park for so long.  They’re from different worlds. 

But for some reason it feels like the same one.  The world he’s dreamed about, where the boy with the scar is his King and he’s…something.

“Um, I don’t think so?” Hakuryuu says, turning and sitting on his bed to get a better view.  The elevated mattresses make his feet dangle above the ground.  “Hm…no, I’d remember your hair.  Where are you from?”

For a moment, Judal forgets.  His attention is caught by Hakuryuu’s bright blue left iris.  “Um.  Rochester.  Recently, anyway.”

He needs to fucking distract himself.  Judal shakes his head and breaks their eye contact to go ruffle through his bedding materials; the mattress is a foam slab looking thing but it’s still better than the cement.

“I’m from the City,” Hakuryuu says to continue a conversation Judal’s still uncomfortable with.  “My family has a business there, actually.  Maybe you’ve heard of it—Kou?  It’s a clothing line.”

Fuck, he’s heard of it.  Judal freezes and turns to look at him again, and he realizes how much he can’t get enough of the kid.  “Kou?  Like…Ren Kouen?”

“He’s my brother,” Hakuryuu says shyly.  “Usually people don’t know what I’m talking about but it’s hard to miss if you live in the city,”

“Shit, no, I…” Judal bites his lip and turns before he finishes his sentence.  “I worked for Kou.  For a while.  Your mom’s foster business cycled me after I turned ten.”

There’s silence after that.  Hakuryuu obviously hadn’t taken into account that Judal could be a foster kid, much less one he could have easily come into contact with as a child.  Judal stretches the sheet over his mattress and hears a faint cough.  “S-sorry.”

Judal shrugs.  It is what it is.  He’s used to this life by now, and a few comments by a rich kid won’t change his past.  He frowns when he realizes he doesn’t have a comforter like Hakuryuu does and he’ll have to buy one before winter—maybe he can look for campus jobs or something.

To break the silence, Hakuryuu clears his throat.  “When’s your first class?”

“Tomorrow, at one.”

“Late classes!”

Judal flashes a half-hearted grin and tries not to look at his eyes because every time he _does_ he feels like he’s being pulled somewhere else.  “I don’t get up before noon.  It’s policy.”

Hakuryuu grins and hops off the bed to stretch, reaching for something in his bags.  “Well!  I’m gonna try out the showers I think.  Give you time to unpack on your own.”

Judal gives a grunt of acknowledgement and turns just in time to see Hakuryuu stripping off his hoodie.  More burns.  They look like they cover his whole body on the left side, and he can see just on the other’s shoulder—

“Cool tattoo.”

Hakuryuu turns like he didn’t think he was being watched and looks before grinning smugly.  “Don’t tell my family!  They’ll freak out.  I found a picture of it in my brother’s office one time when I was little and liked it.”

It’s a circle with two squares on the inside, each corner touching the edge of the circle.  It does look cool, but Judal thinks it’s a bit strange to get something on your body you don’t know the meaning of.  Still, it feels familiar to him, and it tugs on his heart.

When Hakuryuu is gone, Judal _scrambles_ for his sketch book.  He flips to pages from the beginning, drawings from years ago that he keeps in the front just for this.

His heart is pounding as he flips to the right page.  When he finds the drawings, something feels like it unlocks in his chest.  A relief?  No.  A realization.  He’s known Hakuryuu all his life, from when he was just a child and dreamt of blood and death.

The boy haunting his nightmares.  The boy he dies on top of, spear stuck through both of them.  The boy who gives him a message with his dying breath.

“Found you,” Judal whispers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all i'm sooo sorry this took so long! i've been busy with school work and my health. i really hope i didn't lose any of you guys ; ;
> 
> second of all thank you so much for all the kudos and comments, it really means a lot c: i hope everyone can bear with this chapter cause it's a little bit of exposition. cute stuff soon tho! cute stuff and heartbreaking slow burn stuff.

Hakuryuu wakes up the next day at nine for his class at ten, because he’s sure he’ll get lost.  His alarm buzzes quietly and he gently presses the button on his phone to turn it off—he has no idea how light of a sleeper Judal is.  No part of him wants to wake up the other boy after the night he had.

Judal _tosses_ in his sleep.  And usually he’ll throw that term around pretty carelessly, towards anyone who so much as kicks or breathes funny, but Judal’s sheets are literally tangled in knots around his legs.  At three, Hakuryuu woke up to the sound of Judal whimpering, and to see him jolt and grip at the bed. 

Horrible nightmares like that require _tea_ before bed.  Hakuryuu promises himself that he’ll stop by the school store and pick up a packet or two for them to share.

Silently, he stumbles out of bed and gathers his books for the day, throwing on pants over his boxer briefs.  He’s not uncomfortable around Judal; in fact, he’s more comfortable than he would expect.  As he chooses his clothes—a dress shirt with a light grey blazer over top—he wonders if Judal has any clothes other than the small suitcase under his bed.

He feels horrible.  Rich and horrible.  Even if he’s some distant son who doesn’t even matter.

He slings his backpack over his shoulder and is sure to shut the door quietly so he doesn’t wake Judal’s thankfully sleeping form.  And then it’s down the hall, following the map on his phone to find his first class.  Campus is quiet and brisk in the late summer sun with few people ambling around holding coffee.  He can already hear a few morning birds chirping, and there’s a light morning mist covering the grounds.  It’s peaceful, he thinks; he’s grateful he’s a morning person and gets to see this.  He can only imagine what it’s like to be Judal and wake up to the blazing afternoon sun.

There’s no wind when we walks past a group of trees but he sees a branch move out towards him anyway.

Hakuryuu jumps back, shouting, heart pounding because it looked as though someone were touching him.  He even thinks he sees the branch curl a little, like it’s going back into its original position, but…surely it’s his imagination.  He’s been daydreaming all morning and nervous about his first class of the week.

He laughs to himself.  Startled by a _tree_ ; honestly, it’s just college.

His class is nearly full by the time he makes it inside, and he figures that’s because it’s filled to the brim with people on the waitlist.  He’s taking the most important history course to get it out of the way of his major and apparently that was everyone else’s idea.  The lecture hall itself is old, but fitted awkwardly with a brand new projection system and an immaculate screen.  Quickly, he takes one of the few remaining seats next to a cute blond boy and settles in to fiddle with his phone.

“Ohhh, is that the new iPhone?” the blond boy says excitedly next to him.  Hakuryuu turns to see a bubbly, smiling face with amber eyes and round cheeks.  “I’ve had the 4 _forever_.  It’s about to die on me.  How much did it cost you?!”

Again, the wealth.  Hakuryuu inwardly cringes.  “Ah… I’m not sure, it was with the contract and my…my mom paid for it.”

To shut him up when he tried to ask why he hadn’t gotten postcards from his brother Ren yet. 

The boy pouts.  “Aw, man.  I do freelance jobs so I don’t always have money.”

“What do you do?”

He brightens.  “All sorts of stuff!  Mostly delivery.  What about you, do you have a job?”

Gosh, he asks so many questions.  Hakuryuu shakes his head and points to his book.  “Mom says I should focus on my studies instead.”

The boy makes a face.  “Sheesh, always do what your mother says, huh?  I’m Alibaba, by the way!  Alibaba Saluja.”

“Ah.  Hakuryuu.  You can call me Haku if you want.”

He seems to be pretty thankful for that suggestion.  Judal didn’t seem to have an issue with it, but Europeans can’t ever seem to get the pronunciation down right.  It bothers him, but he’d rather avoid the awkward confrontation.  Just as he’s about to ask Alibaba if he’s on the wait list, the professor wanders in and everyone quiets.

Hakuryuu can see why.  He’s gorgeous.  So gorgeous that he finds himself blushing a little, and he can tell everyone in the room is doing the same.  He’s got a long, flowing, bright purple ponytail that brushes his calves.  Hakuryuu doesn’t think he’s ever seen a better dye job in his life.  It must cost a fortune—and he’s _damn_ bold for wearing it against that silky white suit.  He’s adorned with sparkly jewelry and gems and Hakuryuu thinks he won’t do very well in this class if he can’t stop staring.

And then a teacher’s assistant follows.  Most TA’s are excited, welcoming and far more engaging than their professors.  But this one is small and quiet.  He’s got snow white hair and a green beanie on, which he doesn’t think looks very professional.  But the rest of his outfit is very smart and designer; a cream sweater with a green tie that matches his eyes tucked into the V.  Those coal grey pants are about two sizes two small, and as he sits comfortably on a stool nearby to watch the professor, Hakuryuu thinks he can see a dynamic forming.

“Morning, class!” the professor says warmly.  “Sorry we meet so early, but I do expect everyone to be on time.  If you commute or if you like to sleep in I don’t think you should stick around if you don’t have to.”

  1.   That’s one way to start.  No one leaves, probably because that’s intimidating as _shit_ and Hakuryuu rolls his eyes.



“Now,” he starts again.  “I’m Sinbad—that’s all you have to call me by, I don’t need honorifics.  This is a pretty laid back class and we’ll be friends by the end of the semester if you guys know when to buckle down and do work.  Over here is my assistant, Ja’far.”

He motions.  Ja’far gives a little nod of his head, looking shy.  Hakuryuu thinks he’s kind of adorable.

The rest of the period is spent going over a syllabus which includes several essays and a lot of reading.  Hakuryuu doesn’t mind reading or writing, considering it’s his strong point, but Alibaba groans under his breath next to him.  Hakuryuu gives him an encouraging nudge with his foot.

They’re about to leave, the rest of the class gathering their books prematurely and heading for the door, so Sinbad has to raise his voice.  It carries over the class, and something about it strikes an uncomfortable chord inside Hakuryuu.  They make eye contact, and it’s brief, but it feels like he’s staring for hours. 

Ja’far looks at Sinbad questioningly.  It’s almost like Sinbad knows something Hakuryuu doesn’t.

Alibaba knocks him out of his reverie and drags him out of the classroom and already Hakuryuu is finding faith in his new friend.  They stumble into the late summer sun and breathe the fresh air, glad to be out of the suffocating lecture hall.

“I’ve never taken a history course in my _life_ ,” Alibaba groans.  “I should drop.”

“Don’t you need it for a credit?” Hakuryuu says, surveying the campus trying to remember the quickest route back to his dorm.  He needs a nap, really, but he’s forgotten the book for his other class.  “If you ever need help, I can tutor you.  I’m pretty good at history.”

Alibaba’s face lights up and he starts off in another direction.  He’s walking backwards and nearly knocks into about three people.  “That would be awesome!  You’re awesome!”

Hakuryuu just shakes his head with a fond smile.  The dorm feels hotter than it should be so early in the morning, and Hakuryuu is really starting to miss the air conditioning he’s so used to.  But he bites his tongue because Judal probably hasn’t ever had air conditioning.  Next to Judal, he feels like a rich sultan.

The room is still dark when he walks in, blinds drawn.  Hakuryuu checks the time—10:45.  He can’t imagine sleeping in this late, but Judal probably needs it.  He heads over to his desk to find that book he needs when he hears mumbling coming from behind him.

“Don’t.”

It’s soft.  He barely hears it over the noise of his own shuffling around, but then Judal makes a whimpering noise and Hakuryuu turns to face him.  Tangled up in the sheets, only Judal’s head is clearly visible, but his eyebrows are drawn together and his expression is one of pain.

His breathing is fast and erratic and Hakuryuu is worried he’ll either hyperventilate or go into shock, so he dashes to the side of Judal’s bed and tries to wake him.  How is he _still_ having nightmares?  After last night anything bad he ate should be out of his system.  Hakuryuu is starting to doubt that any kind of tea would work for this.

“Donnn’t hurt him,” Judal mutters, and Hakuryuu pauses.  Who is ‘him’?  Judal’s having a nightmare about someone he loves being hurt?  He doesn’t know anything about Judal’s past, so it’s possible he has a dead family member or something.

Judal awakens so fast that Hakuryuu jumps and stares wide-eyed at his roommate.  He’s sitting upright in bed, heaving labored breaths, eyes wild and trying to focus on the reality in front of him.  He sees Hakuryuu’s face and something changes in his expression, going lax, and he puts his head in his hands to hide what Hakuryuu can only describe as obvious relief.

“Maybe you shouldn’t sleep anymore,” Hakuryuu suggests softly.  He has an urge to reach out and rub Judal’s spine.  “You’ve been having nightmares all night long.”

Judal looks like he’s contemplating something, and then he turns to stare at Hakuryuu with recognition.  Hakuryuu can feel his dark brown, almost ruby eyes scanning over his scar and he wonders vaguely why he doesn’t feel uncomfortable.

“Told you I don’t get up before noon,” he grumbles, and Hakuryuu can’t help but grin at him.  Judal slips his glasses on, though, and shows signs of getting out of bed.  “You look… you look younger.”

Uh…okay.  Hakuryuu huffs unsurely but the fond smile never leaves his face as he slings his bag over his shoulder again, knowing he’s about to be late for class.  “Weirdo.  Go get some breakfast.  We can go to the dining hall together tonight.”

Judal looks confused, but appreciative as he nods.  “It’s a date.”

Hakuryuu tries not to blush before he leaves the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay! so! i'm really stressed and dealing with a lot of mental health issues so this chapter is kind of therapeutic for me. it's not really my best work but i also wanted to get something out to you guys as soon as possible? thank you so much for sticking with me, i hope you like this ; ;! there's a lil bit of flirting in this chapter, thank goodness, and we're finally getting into the thick of it

Judal _said_ it would be a date, sure; but he’s never been on one of those in his life and he has no idea what he’s doing.

And it could have been just an expression, right?  Just a joke.  Maybe Hakuryuu didn’t take him seriously.  It had been early, and dark in their room.  He could have imagined that blush staining his cheeks and the way he hurried from the room to go to his next class, book caught hastily between his clenched fingers.

He straightens his glasses in the mirror.  The thick frames hide his eyes, which he’s always thought were more on the red side and how that made him unique or whatever.  Now he feels silly; his hair is a mess, he’s got toothpaste on the corner of his mouth he furiously tries to wipe off—and then the door opens and Hakuryuu is rushing in, dropping his books on the bed and spinning to pull out his phone.

“I’m starving,” he says enthusiastically.  He’s scrolling through his Skype app and seems relieved there aren’t any messages for him before he shoves the phone in his back pocket.  “You’re ready to go, right?”

Yeah, he’s ready.  Judal nods numbly and doesn’t know what to do with his hands.

“I dunno if you came here for visit day,” Hakuryuu begins, digging through his bag to find his campus card, “but the dining hall is pretty cool.  You can get as much food as you want, no limits.”

…Seriously?  Judal’s eyebrows shoot up but he doesn’t say anything.  He allows Hakuryuu to drag him out the door and across campus towards the dining hall in the setting sun.  He’s had one class today and it was in the next building over, so this is the most he’s seen of campus so far.  Swallowing, he stuffs his hands in his front pockets and flips his braid over his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

Maybe that Judal’s never been on a date before and he doesn’t even know if this is supposed to be one or not.  He shrugs.  “Nothing.”

The dining hall is filled to capacity with students flitting in and out, and even though Judal knows a good number of them have to be freshmen, it seems like they all already know how to operate.  Hakuryuu does too, which surprises him, but he guesses if he came here for visit day he’ll be familiar with it.  The other guides him through the system and shows him which parts of the building are for which foods, and then he says that with one swipe of his campus card he can have unlimited food and stay here for as long as he wants.

Judal almost falls over.  That’s so much.  That’s so much food, so much time he can spend feeling like he’s not starving.  It nearly brings tears to his eyes but he’s not about to let rich boy see it.

They find a cozy spot in the corner, seated inside a booth with pleather seats.  Judal’s started small with some spaghetti and peach cobbler for dessert, and Hakuryuu’s all health-nut and eating shitty vegetables and fruit.

“That looks so gross,” Judal comments, turning up his nose.  “How do you even eat that stuff?”

Hakuryuu gives him an annoyed look.  “This _stuff_ is literally the sustenance your body needs to function.  How do you even live off spaghetti and…what is that?  Crumbly applesauce?”

Judal scoffs and stuffs noodles in his mouth, and sauce gets all over his chin.  “Yer _blind_.  Is peash cobber.”

“What?”

He swallows.  “Peach cobbler.  Y’know, sweet stuff.  Here, try it.”

Judal lifts a fork full of it towards Hakuryuu’s mouth and grins at the other’s disgusted look.  But he tries it anyway, pale lips wrapping around the fork and swallowing the dessert.  Judal tries to ignore the way their eyes connect but it’s a bit hypnotizing watching those lips, and his heart stutters so he has to look away and clear his throat a bit.

Hakuryuu’s grinning to himself; Judal can see out of his peripheral.  Asshole.

“I like peaches,” he says as he tries to distract himself with more spaghetti.  “Pretty much the only healthy food I _do_ like.  Not like you, health nut.”

“I’m not a health nut!” Hakuryuu whines, but there’s a smile on his face and he bumps Judal’s foot under the table.  Girls at the next booth over are staring and giggling at them.  “Seriously, balanced diets are just normal parts of the human condition.”

“Yeah, but we’re in college,” Judal whines and he leans back in his seat.  “We’re supposed to eat pasta and drink beer and—“

“Yes you are,” a voice says next to them, and both Hakuryuu and Judal nearly jump out of their seats.  Judal turns to see a…a really, _really_ cute young guy with bright pink hair drawn around his head in loose braids.  He’s got a feminine face, bright eyes that Judal thinks are covered by circle lenses, and pouty soft lips.  He’s leaning on the table now, closer to Hakuryuu.  “You are absolutely supposed to drink beer.”

Hakuryuu looks exasperated.  “Fuck _off_ , Kouha.”

Do all hot boys know each other or something?  Judal’s scowling before he recognizes the name and the face.  Ren Kouha—the younger brother of Kouen, probably the heir to the million-dollar industry he runs.  How did Judal ever get into a situation wherein he’s surrounded by hot, rich gay kids?

Kouha smirks before he turns his gaze to Judal and looks as though he’s just found an interesting sea shell on the beach.  “You look like a good candidate—how do you feel about Greek life, cutie?”

Cutie. Judal’s too charmed to blush, really, and if it’s payback for earlier when Hakuryuu gave his fork a blow job, it’ll have to do.  He leans forward just a little and lets his gaze wander a bit.  Kouha’s slim, with trim hips and skinny legs, and Judal lets himself wonder.  “Not sure I know much about it, actually.”

Kouha notices, but so does Hakuryuu, and the black-haired brother brings out his phone to fiddle with awkwardly.  The smaller of the two pushes himself into the booth next to Judal and brings out a flyer from his hoodie pocket, unfolding it to show the bright pink lettering across the top.

“I’m in Alpha Theta,” he purrs.  “We’re having a party this Friday; free booze, free weed, free…well.  Everything.”

Hakuryuu rolls his eyes.

“I’d love for you to come,” Kouha says gently, almost hypnotically.  He brushes Judal’s braid with his fingers, grins up through his lashes and bites his lower lip for a fraction of a second.  Judal wonders how many guys he’s planning to get into bed on Friday.  “And maybe you can bring my brother along, too—he needs to have fun.”

“I don’t need to do anything,” Hakuryuu grumbles.  “Besides, you’re gonna have your coked out friends there and I’m not interested in—“

Kouha scoffs before he can finish, standing up from the booth and leaning over to give Hakuryuu a kiss on the cheek.  “I’m not going to make you do _cocaine_ , stupid.  One drink won’t kill you, and you have this beautiful soul looking after you.”

He winks at Judal before stalking off, sashaying his hips.

“Sorry about that,” Hakuryuu groans, and his face is bright red and Judal thinks that’s pretty damn cute.  “He thinks everyone around him is gay, and he flirts with everyone nonstop.”

“I am gay,” Judal laughs, and he twirls some spaghetti onto his fork.  “And it’s no big deal—I’m flirty when I wanna be.  Are you going to the thing?”

Hakuryuu is still sulking and sipping on his tea slowly, looking off into the sea of students finding tables.  “Dunno.  Alpha Theta is…bad news, I guess?  The only reason I know anyone there is because of Kouha.”

“Bad news?”

“They have this shady coke dealer that goes to every party, and by the end of the night there’s at least six girls who are so drunk that creepy dudes feel the need to push them into bedrooms, and…it’s fucking sick, actually.  It’s just worse that my step brother hangs out with them.”That’s pretty bad news, now that Judal thinks about it.  Still, he’s never been to a college party before.  And he doesn’t have anything to do Friday night, and if he can get Hakuryuu to be there it won’t be awkward.  “If you come with me I’ll protect you from any creepy dudes, okay?”

Hakuryuu just grins.  Their feet haven’t stopped touching each other, and Judal smiles back at him, and everything is frozen until Hakuryuu gives him an odd look and reaches across the table to pick off the other’s glasses.

Judal feels soft fingers brush the bridge of his nose.  His heart stutters to a stop.  Hakuryuu’s bright blue eyes reach his, and then the other smiles as he folds the glasses and pushes them into his front pocket.

“I like seeing your face,” he says shyly.  Judal’s speechless.  But then Hakuryuu’s standing up and taking his dishes to the side, and Judal feels like if he doesn’t follow he’ll be betraying a central part of his being.


End file.
